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Buying a new laptop is surely one of the more daunting tech purchases you can make. There’s an intimidating amount of products out there on the market, and they do a dizzying amount of things. How do you find the best laptop for your needs in this haystack of microchips?

The first step to answering that question is to work out what those needs actually are – and the truth is that for most of us, the answer is basic tasks like sending emails, browsing the internet, and watching films or TV shows. In which case, there's good news and bad: almost all new units on the market will be up to doing what you need them to – but that means it can be difficult to discern whether the money you pay is a worthwhile investment. Should you get cheap and cheerful, or dear and desirable?

“If you’re only going to use it to browse the internet, watch on-demand services like Netflix, and perform basic tasks in programmes like Word, then you’ll be fine with a laptop of under £300," says Phil Elford, Head of Technology at Argos. “For a good all-rounder to use for work applications like spreadsheets and presentations, I would recommend devices above £400. Gaming and premium products start at around £700.

"As with most things in life," he adds, "the more you spend the better experience and quality you will get."

But how much does that experience, that quality, matter? £300 might buy you a laptop that streams Netflix just fine – but would you be better off shelling out extra for the additional options that inevitably ratchet up the price, like a fancy HD screen, good speakers, or 360 degree hinges? And are the £300 quid models so ill-designed that you find them uncomfortable to type on after 20 minutes in a cafe, or too heavy to carry in your bag to work?

Those are the kind of questions that I kept in mind while reviewing the laptops for this article. I wanted to find the best laptop for the casual user – people who want a go-to machine that does the basics well and is designed for frequent use, without necessarily offering the whizz-bang computing power required by gamers or film editors or software designers.

I found that technical specs were less important in the decision making process than you might think. Once upon a time, anyone looking for a new computer would spend ages comparing processing speeds and RAM. However, laptops these days have really good processors (most use Intel, some use new kid-on-the-block AMD). I've included a detailed explanation on the merits of different processors at the bottom of this article – but honestly, if you're looking for an everyday laptop, whatever you choose will be up to the job. The only time I struggled during testing was when I had loads of tabs open on an Intel Core i3 (the entry level model).

You also won't need to worry too much about operating system. There are basically three choices here. Windows, MacOS, and ChromeOS. All are very good operating systems which have slightly different ways of doing things. They're all intuitive and they've been user tested to within an inch of their lives, so whichever you choose, you'll pick it up very quickly and it'll soon feel natural. Windows is perhaps a bit more technical, MacOS is a bit more user-friendly, ChromeOS has a bit less support for software developers, but it's really not going to make a lot of difference to the layperson.

And finally storage. Storage has completely changed in the past few years. While you might be used to laptops having 500GB hard-drives, these days you won't find many with more than 256GB. Most manufacturers would prefer you to use either an external hard-drive or cloud storage. I've explained a bit more about this down in the FAQs at the bottom of this article, but don't be too surprised if you see a laptop with less storage than you'd expect.

So, without further ado, here were my picks when I set out to find the best laptop for everyday use, starting with my favourite...

1. Google Pixelbook

What we like about it: A premium product, easy to use, and morphs into a tablet in a blink of an eye

Chromebooks have been around for a while now: small, lightweight laptops that use Google's operating system and prioritise convenience over everything else. You won't find programmes like Word or Excel here; they've been replaced by Google's own suite of applications, including Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Gmail, which habitually save files to the cloud rather than your hard drive. The quietly revolutionary idea is that you can pick up your work wherever you are, whatever device you're using. No more facepalming when you realise you've left that work presentation on your laptop at home.

For a while, Google essentially franchised ChromeOS out to hardware manufacturers like HP, so Chromebooks were always made by other companies. The Pixelbook is Google's first attempt to go it alone, allowing the creators of the OS to show exactly how their system should be handled.

The overarching idea is for the Pixelbook to rival the Apple Macbook, and for my money, it's a huge success. It's blessedly light and portable, easy to use, gorgeous to behold, and endowed with the fantastic ability to morph into a tablet at the drop of a hat.

Google have designed a winner here. The Pixelbook comes in a sleek aluminium silver with a white glass top to break up the design. It looks - and feels - premium. Inside, you’ve got a very flat keyboard which is really comfortable to type on and never feels cramped, despite its small size. I found it easy to work on all day long (although I did grow frustrated of the tiny lag between pressing the CAPS LOCK key and caps lock actually activating, which resulted in this sort of thing: aLl of my sentences ended up looking like i Couldn’t type properly. Still, that's probably my fault for not using the shift key like a normal person.)

With the screen closed, the whole thing is just 20.6mm thin, so it's ideal for sliding into a backpack or briefcase. The price you pay for the slimness is the lack of ports, with just two USB-C included and no HDMI to share your screen with a television.

Its skinny size is matched by the lightness of the device – just slightly more than a bag of sugar. I took the Pixelbook to and from work every day and barely noticed it in my bag.

The Pixelbook also has 360 degree hinges, and probably makes the most convincing case for them of any of the laptops I tested. Spin the screen all the way around and the computer becomes a tablet. Importantly, it feels right as a tablet - about the same size and weight - whereas other laptops feel too clunky once they're spun to tablet mode. The keys stay flush to the back of the screen thanks to a pleasingly effective magnet.

As for the screen quality, it's excellent. The Pixelbook has a 2400×1600 pixel resolution (better than a HD TV, but not quite as good as a 4K one), so it's bright, sharp and shows colours really well. It's not the biggest screen on this list – Google list it as 12.3 inches, but if you discount the bezels, it’s an even 12 – but it looks as crystalline as any.

Battery life is good at ten hours of usage, but where it really shines is in standby. I left my test device in standby with the screen closed for about four days over Christmas and it only lost about 10pc of battery life. To me, that's useful: you can leave it on a computer desk at home, much like your chunky old desktop, and not worry that it won't work the next time you sit down to write to a friend.

The Pixelbook comes with a stylus, as is the fashion at the moment. I found the Pixel Pen to be the best stylus I've ever used – it felt precise and sat perfectly in my hand. What did I use it for? Well, a bit of drawing, a bit of painting, some handwritten notes. Yeah, OK, styluses are still gimmicky - but at least Google's one works well.

All this to say, the Google Pixelbook is the best laptop for everyday use. I love the design, I love how light it is, I love the look and feel, and the speed is great. I’d buy one in a heartbeat... if money was no object.

And therein lies my one real gripe with the Pixelbook. Circa £1,000 feels a little on the punchy side to me. It's probably indicative of Google aiming for Apple's market, but I think it's a shame they haven't found a way to sell a version of the model for a couple of hundred quid cheaper, because I can see vast swathes of young people and students shelling out £800 for this, but not £1,000.

2. ASUS Zenbook 14

Well established computer maker Asus has been churning out Zenbooks since 2011 and we're now onto the 14th iteration. The focus of this family has always been on minimising their footprint: they're small and lightweight.

Unlike other small laptops, the Zenbook range distinguishes itself with a brushed aluminium chassis which helps these computers look significantly more premium. The one I was using was a lovely dark blue. Jealous colleagues asked where I'd got it from.

The 2018 edition which I tested is 13pc smaller than the previous year’s model, with most of the overall size being shaved off the height of the screen, making for a very wide, distinctly rectangular shape (about 13x8 inches when closed). Personally, I really liked it - that lack of height didn't impact on the laptop's userbility, and it makes slipping it into your backpack or laptop case all the easier.

Look around the product and you start to see clever little ideas that save space. The screen is essentially bezel free, and the keypad includes a touchpad that turns it into a numberpad - good for those who spend a lot of time doing spreadsheets.

Still, it isn’t cramped, I didn’t think, not a sliver of space is wasted on either the keyboard or the bezel-free screen, making the laptop feel bigger than it is. There’s a shortcut on the touchpad which turns it into a number pad, a clever use of space ideal for those who spend a lot of time doing spreadsheets.

Unlike the Pixelbook, the Asus comes with a wealth of ports: two USB slots, an HDMI port, a USB-C port, a headphone jack, even a microSD card slot. And also unlike the Pixelbook, there's no touchscreen or tablet mode here. It all makes the Zenbook feel like a traditional laptop - and that's no bad thing. As a basic laptop, it’s worth a place on our Recommended podium.

A few years ago Lenovo were best known as makers of solid if unremarkable laptops. Then along came Yoga. Lenovo were the first to really popularise 360 degree hinges, allowing your to flip your laptop into a tablet seamlessly. As more and more companies have copied that trend, Lenovo has rather lost their USP, but at least they caught our attention enough to show us that they're perfectly capable of making a quality product just like the old favourites such as Dell, HP, and Apple.

The design of the Yoga is understated and sleek, a nice matte black exterior, with a metallic-looking interior around the keyboard. The screen is wide and doesn’t waste too much space with unnecessary bezels (although there is a large one on the bottom edge.)

Everything is perfectly in proportion here and neatly thought through. There's a wide keyboard with soft, quiet keys. A wide, bright Full HD screen. Two lovely old-fashioned USB ports (which is hardly a given these days as most laptops transition to the smaller USB-C ports). You can even get a finger-print scanner for added security and to make payments through Paypal more securely.

Like the Pixelbook, this is a laptop-tablet hybrid, so you can flip the keyboard under the screen. Unfortunately, I found the unit to be a bit too heavy for that; at 1.6kg, it just doesn't feel that comfortable in your hands or on your lap like a normal tablet. Also, I would have appreciated a magnet on the back of the screen to lock the keys in place.

The speakers are good quality, although they're oddly positioned on the bottom of the laptop. Why fire the audio straight down, into your desk?

As with many laptops, you can play around with the exact spec of this laptop. The brand are currently stocking three different versions of the Yoga 530, and you’ll find further options across the internet, each with slightly different processors, storage space, and other internal specs. I tested the model with the Intel Pentium Processor and 128GB of storage, which suited my needs just fine.

On the outside, all look the same, so make sure to read up on what you're getting before you buy.

All in all, there are wrinkles with the Yoga 530 that stopped me from pushing it higher on this list, but fundamentally, it does the job of everyday computing very well. In my eyes buying this laptop is the technological equivalent of adopting an old labrador from the dog shelter. It’s no showdog, trying to dazzle you with fancy tricks, or a puppy, all newness and excitement. No, this is a sturdy companion that'll do what you need it to and no more.

For those looking for something basic, this is an ideal unit for a fair price.

4. 2018 Apple Macbook Air

Once you’ve decided to buy a Macbook, nothing else can scratch that itch. They're highly design, highly enviable, and certainly highly priced beasts. You're either susceptible to their charms or you're not.

Lets start with those charms. The recently released Macbook Air looks absolutely fantastic. Of course it does. This is Apple: Jony Ive, the company's chief design officer, wouldn't get away with the dodgy spelling of his first name if his products were anything less than glorious.

This is the smallest Macbook yet; 17pc smaller than its predecessor, and that means it's light and easy to carry around. It's not as light as the Pixelbook, but then it does have a slightly bigger screen.

The screen is a retina display, which Apple has been using on all its other Macbooks and iPhones for a while now, and it looks fantastic - bright, sharp, popping with colour. Apple have trimmed the bezels, letting the screen stand out. The speakers are also 25pc louder than the last model.

The trackpad is fantastic, larger than most of the others on the market, and it features fingerprint unlocking and pressure sensing. Small but welcome changes.

Perhaps less welcome is the butterfly keyboard, where the keys lie more or less flat against the device. It's a Marmite feature: personally I hated it. Because there’s little press on the keys, I felt the need to give them a good thwack. Not a stress-free experience.

Anyway, that's a minor quibble. The Macbook Air is certainly a very good, very desirable laptop. But do you need one for everyday use? I'd suggest not. The truth is that for everyday use, you can find other laptops that are just as good for sending emails and watching iPlayer, and they won't cost as much. Or you can pay in the same region for a Pixelbook and get a similarly specced computer that also doubles up as a tablet.

5. ASUS Vivobook S15

While other products have aimed to shrink down to a smaller, thinner form factors, the Vivobook has stubbornly resisted. If you’re looking for something a bit smaller, this isn’t going to be the one for you.

When you open it, the bottom of the screen hinge lifts up the keyboard to allow you to type at a more comfortable, ergonomic angle. It also allows the fans to be more efficient, a clever bit of design that improves all-round userbility and performance.

I was impressed with the hybrid storage. The Vivobook comes with both SSD and HDD storage (explained in greater detail at the bottom of this article), which means you get both plenty of speed and plenty of storage space. The idea is to save your apps and programmes on the SSD storage to enable them to boot up faster, and then to put photos and music on the HDD storage to keep your collection together. It works a treat and the laptop constantly feels speedy to use.

Given that it has a big screen and big storage capacity, it's probably no surprise that it's also one of the heaviest laptops I tested. I actually think ASUS have done an impressive job of keeping the weight down. Given all that storage, you might expect a weightier unit. On the flip side, part of the weight saving comes from a plastic chassis, which feels cheap and not too cheerful.

The battery is also pretty poor at under six hours off a single charge (more like four when I was working on it), the speakers are nothing to write home about, and I didn’t really care for the clompy keyboard, which felt like it wasted space.

6. HP Envy X360

Search any forum about laptops and the question that inevitably comes up is: “Can I play the Sims 4 on it?” Well, if that’s what you’re looking for, look no further.

The HP Envy is the closest thing you can get to a gaming laptop without being a gaming laptop. What I mean by that is, it’ll be ideal for playing things like the Sims 4 or Football Manager, but probably not the one for playing Call Of Duty or Warcraft.

Even as a standard laptop, I’m pretty impressed. It manages to pack a full-sized keyboard onto its laptop body, and you get 360 degree hinges, a touchscreen, fantastic speakers, a bright and sharp screen, and all the ports and connections you can shake a stick at.

It’s great on the go, charging up in a claimed 45 minutes (more like an hour, I found).

But in terms of its gaming credentials, you’ve got a lot of options. You can choose an AMD processor and graphics chip, or go with a version which uses an Intel/NVIDIA G-Force combination. Either way, games look fantastic and work speedily.

In this regard, I’m slightly surprised HP haven’t opted for a hybrid harddrive like the ASUS Vivobook which strikes me as absolutely ideal for a laptop like this (perfect for storing all those Sims 4 expansion packs) but with 128GB as standard, there should be plenty.

7. HP Pavilion X360

The HP Pavilion is the laptop you imagine when somebody says the word ‘laptop’ to you. It’s bulky and heavy compared to some of the others on this list, but nice enough, with a good sized screen and a keyboard which never feels cramped no matter how long you work on it.

But make no mistake, this is a budget laptop. The construction feels cheap, with screws pock-marking the plastic casing and a screen that’s just slightly duller than newer models, even on the brightest setting. And it heats up quickly: just ten minutes of light internet browsing had very loud fans groaning away for me. That makes me worried it might not last in the long run.

On the plus side, it’s lightning fast. I was able to boot it up from completely off to running Netflix in 14 seconds, even faster than some of the much more expensive models. And that’s especially impressive because unlike basically every other laptop I tested, this one was a working unit with files and programmes already stored on it.

Is this laptop going to set your world alight? No chance. Is it a solid choice for internet browsing, typing the occasional Word document, and watching movies? At that price, the answer is yes.

8. Google Pixel Slate

I know, I know, we’re here to discuss laptops, but honestly, the Pixel Slate tablet sits right on the borderline between tablets and laptops, improving on the Pixelbook with a better, sharper, and brighter screen, a bigger battery with 12 hours use on a single charge, and even a fingerprint scanner.

The Slate also shares one of the best features from the latest Google Pixel smartphone: a wide-angle selfie cam, allowing more people to be seen on video calls at once. Perfect for big families who communicate via Skype.

I actually liked it a lot. It felt natural to use it as a laptop alternative once you add the keyboard on.

Still, that keyboard prevents it from being a true laptop killer. The Pixel Slate Keyboard works fine on a desk, but it’s simply too wobbly to use on your lap. Plus the keyboard alone is £189 - yowzers!

Considering the Pixelbook works fantastically as a tablet, I honestly can’t see any real reason to buy a Pixel Slate. If you’re that committed to watching movies and television on a fantastic screen, it’d be cheaper to buy yourself a decent 4K television.

9. Dell Inspiron 15 5000

You have to admire Dell for the equitable nature with which they design their laptops. From the very expensive XPS 15 (which I tested, but at £1,600, couldn't justify including in this list) to the budget Dell Inspiron 15 5000, they all tend to look pretty similar from the outside.

When you open it up, the Dell Inspiron reveals itself as the brand’s discount offering. It looks and feels very old-fashioned. There are enormous bezels all around the screen and an inefficient use of space on the laptop’s body makes the keyboard feel cramped. It’s also very heavy indeed compared to other models.

On the flipside, those chunky bezels contain a great screen that’s much better than the ones on other cheap laptops. It doesn’t have a 4K screen, but it hardly matters considering the quality with which it can show HD content.

Unlike most of the other laptops on this list, the Inspiron 15 5000 uses HDD storage, meaning that even on the cheapest model, you get a beefy 1TB of storage which should be plenty for storing all the photos, music, and videos you can throw at it.

It's not very portable, but it could make for a good family laptop for the computer desk in the spare room.

10. HP Spectre Folio

When I got into tech reviewing I never imagined I’d find myself writing the phrase ‘this laptop is not suitable for vegans’. Yet here we are.

Meet the world’s first laptop made of real leather. It’s not a sleeve or a case, the leather is part of the laptop. And boy does it look gorgeous.

But the other “world’s first” element to the Spectre Folio is the bigger game-changer. You can slot a SIM card into the back of the laptop and connect to cellular networks like a mobile phone. No WiFi? No problem. It won’t be long before other brands emulate HP on this front, but for now this feels revolutionary.

In terms of its other specs, you’re getting your money’s worth from the Spectre Folio: a large 4K screen, top quality speakers that sound dynamic and punchy even at low volumes, a really good stylus for the touchscreen, and a speedy top-of-the-line Intel processor which makes the laptop feel lightning fast. The keyboard is also quiet as a mouse and feels good to type on.

The laptop has four ‘modes’ from laptop to tablet, including kickstand options which all click into place and feel very secure.

They say you get what you pay for in this life and that’s certainly true of this pricey but rather brilliant little laptop from HP. If I was covering the best laptops full stop, this would be near the top, but for everyday use, it feels like a lot to pay.

If you've got the cash to spare, there are worse ways to treat yourself.

Frequently asked questions about laptops

How often should you update your laptop?

You need to update your mattress every eight years, your TV every five years, and your phone every two years. So what about laptops? How long should you hang onto your device before it’s officially outdated? Chloe Harris-Williams, tablets & computing buyer at John Lewis says: “We would recommend updating your laptop every three to four years, depending on how much it is used during this time.”

Are there any particular brands who are known as the best in class?

When it comes to smartphones, everyone knows that Apple and Samsung will always deliver a good quality product, regardless of the model. Is it the same for laptop manufacturers? When the Telegraph asked Elford, he said: “All the major laptop brands (HP, Lenovo, Acer, Asus) produce good quality devices. Apple Mac still stands out from a design and quality perspective.”

What is the difference between a laptop and a notebook?

A notebook is just a slim, light laptop. In general, notebooks tend to save space by using SSD storage rather than the traditional HDD storage of older laptops. However, these days most bigger laptops are using SSD storage as well.

The one that is a bit different is a Cloudbook or Chromebook. These are smaller laptops with almost no storage whatsoever. The idea is that you store all your files and data in the cloud and just download them when you need them. All well and good, as long as you’ve got a decent internet connection, but if you’re traveling a lot, these may not be ideal.

What is the best processor for a laptop?

If you’re just buying a laptop for everyday use, you probably don’t really need to worry about the processor as you won’t usually be doing anything that needs much processing power.

The vast majority of laptops use Intel processors. These are split into Core, Pentium, and Celeron, the first being widely considered the best, the last the worst. Most laptops I’ve found through my research use Intel Core which comes in i3, i5, i7, and i9 varieties and each has nine generations which mark slight improvements. Essentially, the higher the numbers the better the processor.

But, again, it depends on your use. If you’re doing very basic stuff, an Intel Core i3 processor will do just fine. Maybe an i5, if you’re going a bit harder. You wouldn’t need an i9 processor unless you were doing very, very high-intensity gaming.

However, Intel do have a new rival whose processors are starting to appear on the market. This rival is AMD who make, from most to least powerful, Ryzen, Athlon, and A-Series processors.

AMD is popular among gamers because they make both graphics chips and processors meaning that the technology has been designed to work together from the off, rather than being fused together at a later stage. Some people claim this means that AMD processors are better for gaming, but it’s a hotly contested area.

Either way, if you’re just doing basic stuff, you really don’t need to worry about it.

Should you consider buying a refurbished laptop?

Absolutely. You can get some serious discounts by picking up refurbished laptops. But remember a few things.

Firstly, you should only buy refurbished laptops from certified sellers. Lenovo and Dell both have official ‘outlet’ websites, where you can pick up refurbished laptops that have been checked over and restored to as good a working condition as possible by certified engineers.

You should be a lot more careful when buying ‘refurbished’ laptops from unofficial sellers as there’s basically no guarantee that you’re not getting some clapped out old hand-me-down.

Glossary of terms:

RAM: Random Access Memory. This is basically the part of your computer which is running a programme at any one moment. The more RAM you have, the more programmes you can run at any one time without the device slowly down or freezing.

Processor:When your computer wants to do something it inputs a line of code and outputs your desired result. The processor is the part which organises that transaction. It’s a bit like a translator between you and your computer. The faster it can process your commands, the faster your computer will be.

SSD: Solid state drive. This is a type of hard drive (the ‘memory’ of the computer where you store you files.) SSD storage is used in a lot of modern laptops because it’s smaller and lighter, ideal for thinner laptops. It’s also faster than HDD, so apps and games load faster. The downside is that it’s generally more expensive so you’ll get less storage for your buck.

Cloud storage: Rather than save your files onto your computer, you save them into a private box on the internet which only you can access from any computer. If your laptop got broken or destroyed, you could easily get your files back. The downside is that if you can’t connect to the internet, you can’t get your files. There are also various privacy concerns around giving your data to a big company like Google, Microsoft, Apple, or Dropbox.

HDD: Hard disk drive. An older method of saving files which is bigger, bulkier, and loads a lot more slowly. However, it does have a major upside. HDD storage is very cheap, so you could easily get a lot of storage space for a fraction of the price you’d pay for the same amount of SSD storage.

OS:Operating system. If you’re buying a new laptop, generally this will be Windows 10, or ChromeOS if you’ve got a Chromebook. There’s also MacOS on Macbooks. The latter is significantly different to the former two, so it’s worth heading down to your local PC shop and testing them out before buying.

TB/MB/B: Short for terrabytes, megabytes, and bytes. These are just units of computer storage from biggest to smallest. The more you have, the more photos, music, and videos you’ll be able to store on your device.